Kong Tai felt a bit puzzled by Kubi Lad's strong reaction upon hearing the phrase "hero of justice."
"Looking at how much this guy hates the word justice, he must have been hurt by the Marines!"
Kong Tai stroked his chin in thought, then looked up and shouted at him.
"Hey!"
"Hurry up and attack, stop dawdling, let me see your abilities!"
From the thick smell of blood emanating from this guy, Kong Tai knew he must have killed quite a few people.
No wonder this guy never appeared in the manga.
He was probably executed by the Marines long ago!
"Since you want to die so badly, I'll grant your wish."
As he spoke, Kubi Lad suddenly transformed into a minotaur with the head of a bull.
Seeing Kubi Lad's transformation, the pirates behind him suddenly gained confidence.
Their captain was a monster with devil powers!
Seeing Kubi Lad transformed into a minotaur, Kong Tai couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!!"
"Why don't you wear an iron ring on your nose! That would make you even more like the Bull Demon King."
"Hahahaha..."
"Iron ring?"
"Bull Demon King?"
Although he didn't know what the Bull Demon King was, the word "iron ring" still provoked Kubi Lad.
Especially Kong Tai's undisguised mockery, which sent him into a complete rage.
"Ah...!!"
He roared to the sky, white steam constantly puffing from his nostrils.
The background pirate crew, seeing Kubi Lad's fury, suddenly had glowing faces, shouting excitedly.
"Go, Captain!"
"Tear that arrogant brat apart."
In their minds, an enraged Kubi Lad was the strongest person in the world, effortlessly killing even the Marines who came to pursue them.
Hearing his subordinates' cheers, Kubi Lad stopped roaring, lowered his head, and glared at Kong Tai with blood-red eyes. He stomped his legs hard on the deck and charged at Kong Tai like a sharp sword.
This guy hadn't even looked at him properly since he boarded the ship, his eyes filled with indifference and disdain, an arrogant posture.
And now he was mocking him.
He was simply courting death.
He didn't know how long it had been since he had seen such a look in someone's eyes, or heard their mockery.
Ever since he gained his Devil Fruit ability, everyone he encountered had looked at him with fear, including the Marines.
Why did this brat dare to look at him like that and mock him?
The last time he saw such a look was when he was a slave.
That was why the town where he was enslaved no longer had a single living soul.
He believed this brat would be no exception.
As the distance closed and Kong Tai was within arm's reach, a bloodthirsty glint flashed in Kubi Lad's eyes, and he roared.
"Look at me, you bastard."
He clenched his right fist, which was the size of a sandbag, the muscles in his arm bulging, causing his entire arm to swell by a circle.
Then he pulled his fist back and swung it rapidly towards Kong Tai's head.
Staring at Kong Tai's head, which seemed like it would be splattered with blood the next instant.
A look of extreme excitement appeared on his face.
He enjoyed the scene of blood splashing; it brought him extreme pleasure.
"Huh!"
Just then, a sudden "bang" interrupted his fantasy.
He felt his fist hit not a head, but a steel plate.
His vision quickly returned to reality, and he saw a palm, small relative to his fist, standing motionless in front of his attacking fist, stopping it completely.
"No way!"
"He blocked the captain's full-power punch so easily."
The background pirates, whose faces had been full of excitement moments ago, froze in their smiles.
It wasn't that they hadn't seen people who could block Kubi Lad's full-power punch before, but even the Marine general who blocked it was spitting blood, wasn't he?
How could Kong Tai be so nonchalant, as if he were blocking a falling leaf?
So simple that he hadn't even stopped laughing.
"Is that all the strength you have?"
Kong Tai stopped laughing, turned to stare at Kubi Lad, and mocked, "With such little strength, you've become so arrogant?"
"Don't be so arrogant, brat!"
Kubi Lad glared at Kong Tai with a grim expression. He wasn't stupid; he could feel the gap between himself and Kong Tai.
But he would not bow, nor would he admit defeat.
Because ever since he set sail, he had sworn that he would never bow to anyone again in his life.
He retracted his fist, stepped back a few paces, and ripped off his shirt, revealing the dense scars all over his body.
"Hmm?"
Looking at Kubi Lad's body covered in scars, Kong Tai understood why this guy hated justice so much.
These scars clearly indicated they were accumulated over many years.
Judging by the types and sizes of the scars, they couldn't have been from battles.
Then there was only one possibility.
That this guy was a slave before.
Only nobles could inflict so many scars on a person without killing them.
Kong Tai looked at Kubi Lad, his smile faded, and his brow furrowed slightly.
He didn't intend to waste any more time on this guy.
He had originally wanted to play around, but after seeing the scars on his body, he changed his mind.
He could mock the current Kubi Lad, but he couldn't mock this guy's past.
Kubi Lad roared to the sky, his black fur growing wildly, and in an instant, he completely transformed into a massive yak.
The yak, with its mouth wide open, spoke loudly to Kong Tai.
"Brat, I ate the Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Yak, and became a Yak Human."
"I not only possess infinite strength, but also a pair of horns that can pierce anything."
Saying this, he got down on all fours, lowered his head, aimed his horns at Kong Tai, and charged towards him at high speed.
"Die, brat!"
Bang—!!
The same hand, the same position, and with the same casual demeanor, blocked Kubi Lad's unparalleled attack.
Kong Tai looked at Kubi Lad, slapped his palm forward, and easily sent Kubi Lad flying back, landing on the deck behind him with a thud.
Kubi Lad lay on the ground, shaking his head continuously.
He felt as if his head had been hit by a meteorite, seeing stars and his mind a complete mess.
The background pirates watched the fallen Kubi Lad, not daring to breathe.
They looked up at Kong Tai in horror, their hearts roaring.
"What kind of monster is this guy!"
"Our captain is like a toy in front of this guy, toyed with at will."
Kong Tai jumped down from the railing and walked towards Kubi Lad.
As he walked, all the background pirates on the ship rolled their eyes and fainted.
"I don't know what your past was like, and I don't want to know."
"I only know that what you've done these past few months is enough for you to go to hell!"
Saying this, he unleashed his spatial domain, restraining Kubi Lad in place, not giving him any time to speak.
He intended to end this game.
Wasn't it a bit boring?
In this world, tragedies happened every day, and there were many people who had suffered more than this guy.
Yet they didn't suddenly turn into mad killers.
He wouldn't comment on people who were in darkness, gained power, and then sought revenge on the entire world.
After all, one should not preach to others without experiencing their suffering.
He only knew that the path was chosen by oneself, and once chosen, one had to bear all the hardships on that path until death.
Furthermore, what this guy had done was a hundred times worse than his master.
Therefore, he was not to be pitied.
Kong Tai drew his Zanpakutō and slashed it across Kubi Lad's head.
Then he sheathed his sword and quickly returned to the Freedom.
He didn't bother with the Mad Bull Pirates anymore.
Seeing that Kong Tai's mood was a bit off, Ah Hua and the other two didn't ask any questions.
They quickly lit torches, threw them onto the Mad Bull Pirates' ship, and set sail.
Guina, on the other hand, stayed by Kong Tai's side, holding his hand, not saying a word, just looking at him gently.
When Kong Tai came to his senses, the Freedom had already sailed a considerable distance, with the Mad Bull Pirates' ship being consumed by flames behind them.
He turned to look at Guina, reached out and ruffled her head, and his usual smile returned to his face.
"Don't worry, I'm fine!"
He had known for a long time that the noble class in this world was disgusting, and he had been prepared.
But seeing the plight of slaves for the first time still made him feel quite uncomfortable.
After all, he had never seen a body with so many scars.
...